


Baby Santiago

by whitecrossgirl



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Peraltiago, Slow Burn, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitecrossgirl/pseuds/whitecrossgirl
Summary: Amy's pregnant. Jake's not the father, but he wants to be...
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 13
Kudos: 103





	1. The Test She Wanted To Fail

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a Criminal Minds fic with the same synopsis but I wanted to draw this out and make it into a full story. Basically AU from Season 2; Peraltiago didn't get together and instead decided to be friends. However, some feelings are still there.
> 
> Abandoned: Unable to continue the rest of the story.

Amy Santiago had plans. She had back up plans. She had back up plans for her back up plans. Every detail, every major and minor change in her life had been planned to the most minute detail. Except for this.

She hadn’t planned on this. 

She stared at the small screen on the white stick in her hand, willing it to change with all her might. But it didn’t. It remained. It taunted her as it turned her entire life on it’s head with just eight letters. Eight letters that she didn’t plan on seeing for at least five more years. Minimum. 

Pregnant.

Amy’s mind raced with thoughts; one chasing after the other or slamming together. It was as if the thoughts were throwing themselves against her skull; each one trying to take priority. Thoughts of daycare, college funds, her parents, her career; each one linked back to the most prevalent thought. Mitch. 

Mitch the architect. Mitch the handsome, suave guy who had swept her off her feet. Mitch who brought her flowers and massaged her feet and who promised her the moon on a string. Mitch who was intelligent, funny and ticked a lot of her boxes. Mitch who, on paper, was perfect.

Mitch who she walked in on participating in a threesome and who had had the nerve to blame her and her work schedule for his cheating. She had blocked his number, burned the gifts he had bought her and had to stop Rosa and Gina from tracking him down and killing him. 

Amy knew that she had no choice but to tell him. Broken up or not; this was his baby too and they needed to have some idea of how they were going to deal with things. With trembling hands, Amy set the pregnancy test onto the sink and reached for her phone. 

“Ames? Everything OK? You’ve been in there for half an hour.” Jake called through the door to the ladies’ room. Holt had sent him to look for Amy. They were absolutely swamped in paperwork and instead of being in her element; Amy had pulled a Peralta classic and hidden in the bathroom. 

“I-I’m fine!” Amy called in a high-pitched voice which made it clear just how not-fine she was. Jake glanced around to ensure no one was walking down the hall before he pushed open the door to the ladies room and walked in.

“What are you doing?!” Amy demanded, “You shouldn’t be in here.”

“I needed to see if you were OK and whoa, it smells a lot nicer in here than in the mens' room.” Jake said; the smile falling from his face as he spotted Amy’s reflection in the mirror. Her blotchy face, the streaks of mascara from her eyes, the rumpled hair which had several braids in it. “Ames, what is it?”

“Nothing! It’s nothing!” Amy insisted, wiping the mascara from her cheeks. “Jake you need to get out.”

“No way. Not until you tell me what’s wrong.” Jake retorted. Someone had hurt Amy. Someone had done this to make her so upset. That someone was going to pay. Jake’s mindset was distracted by the sight of tears trickling down Amy’s cheeks again and he wrapped his arms around her. “It’s OK, whatever it is; it’s OK.”

“No, no it’s not.” Amy hiccuped as Jake rubbed her back. 

“Yes it is; whatever it is; we’ll get through it together.” Jake reassured her. They weren’t just partners; they were friends and there was nothing that they couldn’t deal with. If they could take down the Vulture; handle Madeline Wuntch and deal with Hitchcock's smelly feet; then there was nothing they couldn't overcome.

“I’m pregnant.” Amy admitted as Jake took a deep breath and offered a reassuring smile. 

“That’s awesome; a little baby Santiago.” Jake said cheerfully. Although he and Amy had decided it was better to remain friends; he couldn’t deny that he still cared about her. A lot. He had no doubt that she would make a great mom. Even with Mitch the Bitch (as Gina had dubbed him) as Baby Santiago’s dad. “Have you told Mitch?”

“Yes,” Amy whispered and her broken tone, her tears, fears and panic told Jake everything else that he needed to know. That absolute bastard. Jake made a mental note to summon the Hit Squad. Mitch the Bitch was goin' down. 

“Oh Ames,” Jake muttered as Amy hiccuped and felt the tears well up again. She had spent so much of her day crying; if this was what the next nine months were going to be like; she knew she would go insane. “I’m so sorry.”

“He didn’t believe me. He s-said I m-made it up to get him back. I wouldn’t do that Jake! I never would! He called me a desperate loser and told me to never speak to him again! Jake, how do I do this alone.” Amy asked, sobbing as all of her anxieties, worries and fears overwhelmed her. She had been in a controlled state of panic ever since she realised her period had been late four days ago. It all burst loose in a tidal wave of emotion.

“Hey, listen to me. You, Amy Santiago, are not a desperate loser. He is a worthless piece of crap who doesn’t deserve to be part of you and Baby Santiago’s lives. As for doing it alone; you won’t be alone. You’ve got the 9-9; your family; Kevin, Genevive, Sharon and so many more people who will help you.” Jake reassured. “I know it’s tough, growing up without a dad, but an awesome mom can do it. And you, will be an awesome mom.”

Amy smiled weakly and wiped her eyes. “Wow, that was so mature of you.”

“Yeah it was,” Jake agreed. “I feel like I need to say five fart jokes to make up for it.”

Amy gave a wry laugh and Jake felt a wave of warmth crash over him. He could see Amy as a mom; changing diapers, reading stories, rocking a baby to sleep. Amy excelled at everything she did and he had no doubt motherhood would be any different. 

And if she wanted him to; he would be right there with her.


	2. Silent Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to look at how different members of the squad help Amy. I hope I've presented Rosa's character properly.

One of the worst things about being pregnant; Amy decided; was how so many things were now restricted for her. Aside from the obvious, such as smoking, drinking and field work; she also had to change her diet (not that it mattered when all she could keep down were saltine crackers and ginger ale); couldn’t work out as much and even if there were some things that she wanted to do, she couldn’t. Any time she tried, she always had a minimum of three people fussing over her. She stood by what she had said during the Jimmy Jab Games. Babies ruined everything.

Amy was meant to be doing her paperwork; however she had finished all of her’s and had even taken some of Rosa’s for her, before Terry caught them. Instead she had a notebook open on her desk, the page divided neatly in half in order to make a pros and cons list. Her parents had been in Cuba visiting relatives, therefore she had been unable to tell them yet. She wanted to tell them in person. They were having a family gathering next weekend. She hoped to tell them and her brothers then.

She was just worried about how they would react. With eight children, the Santiagos had had to be firm but fair in their rules. As they grew up; the most important rule was to not get pregnant or get anyone pregnant. Not until married or at least, engaged. Most of her brothers who had children had stuck to the rule, except for Luis who was a proud father of two by nineteen. Therefore although having a child out of wedlock wasn’t frowned upon by her parents; Amy had always felt a higher expectation on her than her brothers. She had been the only girl.There had been no special treatment for her. She had to prove that she wasn’t as good as her brothers, she was better. As a child, it had meant fighting for her right at mealtimes (another Santiago rule: if you didn’t eat fast, you didn’t eat) or to have her pick of TV show. As a teenager, it meant fighting for bathroom dibs or doing the best in school. Although Amy knew that her parents would accept her pregnancy and their newest grandchild; she still was terrified about telling them. 

“You look like you need this.” Rosa said as she handed a bottle to Amy.

“Thanks, do you need anything?” Amy asked and Rosa shook her head. Rosa glanced at the pros and cons list. 

“Want to talk about it?” Rosa offered and Amy shrugged her shoulders. On the one hand; she was comforted by Rosa’s support and this was something that she needed to speak to another woman about. On the other, she knew she was holding back a floodgate and once she started speaking, she wouldn’t stop. “Come on, let’s get out of here for a bit.”

“Alright,” Amy agreed as she grabbed her jacket. The precinct was too loud, too busy and she knew that she was worrying herself into a headache. It would be good to get out for a bit and to clear her head.

Rosa took charge and led her to a small park near to the precinct. It was a crisp early February afternoon and the sun was shining brightly through the bare trees. They walked silently, side by side, listening to the rumble of the traffic, the sound of bikes, skateboard and strollers clattering through the park and the chirping of birds in the trees. As a park within walking distance of the Nine-Nine; it was one of the safest parks in Brooklyn. One that would be safe to take a baby to. Even though it was mid-morning; the play area of the park had some children and toddlers playing and squealing. The two sat on a bench and remained quiet for a few more minutes. 

“When are you telling them?” Rosa asked finally, toeing the ground with her boot. 

“Next weekend,” Amy said and let out a sigh. “It feels so surreal.”

“Are you worried?” Rosa asked. Both of them had families that were liberal in some mindsets and traditional in others. 

“A little but Luis had two by nineteen so the fact that I’m not married won’t be a problem. There’s always been that pressure, that expectation by being the only daughter. I hate feeling like I let them down.” Amy explained.

“That’s a bunch of crap. You wouldn’t be letting them down. You’re a grown adult, you have a job, apartment, and you’ve built a life for yourself. If we were in high school, it would be different. Putting pressure on yourself to be perfect is only going to cause more stress and pain.” Rosa explained and Amy could hear the pain in her voice. There was clearly a story behind Rosa’s words but Amy knew better than to pry. 

“You’re right. It just feels weird. There’s something growing inside of me and it has this power to control and change everything in my life. It just feels so impossible. Catching perps is easy. Solving crimes is easy. This is insane.” Amy said as she flicked her nails. All she wanted, more than anything else was a cigarette or a glass of wine, even though she knew it wasn’t healthy for the baby. Even those two words sent her into a tailspin. The baby. 

The baby. 

The baby. 

The baby.

“You’ll get through it. Just don’t ask me to babysit.” Rosa said with a flicker of a smile on her face. The mental image of Rosa with a baby flashed into her mind and for what felt like the first time since her late period, Amy burst out laughing. Rosa grinned with her as Amy sighed softly.

“Thanks Rosa,” Amy said sincerely as she stood up. Rosa nodded stoically as they walked back to the precinct. A nod that Amy knew meant that Rosa would help whenever she can. 

As they walked back into the bullpen, Amy spotted something that had been placed on her desk. A large box that hadn’t been there when she had left. Rosa had a knowing glint in her eye and Amy realised that she had been set up. Amy opened the box, unsure of what to expect. An overwhelmed smile crossed her face as she pulled out the different items from the box and knew exactly who had bought what.

A little teddy bear in a cop uniform. Terry.

A pregnancy cook book. Charles.

A pair of tiny baby booties. Rosa.

A copy of Aesop’s fables for children. Captain Holt. 

A pair of onesies emblazoned with “I’m cute but my Auntie Gina’s cuter.” Gina. 

A large pile of surprisingly unopened and in-date snacks. Hitchcock and Scully.

Best of all was what the items were placed upon. Three large binders; one white, one blue and one pink. Each one labelled with “Baby Santiago” and in typical Jake fashion; the blue one had the additional subtitle of “Girl” and the pink one had the subtitle of “Boy”. Jake.

Touched by their love and reassurance, Amy dabbed the tears that pricked her eyes. She had spent so much of the past two weeks crying but for once these were happy tears. Jake had been right. As long as she had the Nine-Nine; she would get through anything.


	3. Santiago Family Gathering

Amy checked her purse even though she knew that she had everything she needed. Keys. Purse. Phone. Charger. Umbrella in case the forecasted rain arrived. She ought to have set off for David’s house twenty minutes ago and she knew she was just stalling. At least she could blame her lateness on the traffic. Amy’s hands rested on her stomach. At nine weeks, she didn’t have a bump yet but it definitely wasn’t as flat as it was a few weeks ago. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too obvious then. She had even chosen one of her baggier sweaters to wear. Just in case. 

“Ames! You still here?” Jake called in between pressing repeatedly on her doorbell. Amy opened the door to see Jake smiling nervously at her.

“What are you doing here?” Amy asked. He knew that she was meant to be seeing her family today and as tempting as a case would be; she knew there was no point putting it off any longer. 

“I had the day off and I wanted to see if you were OK or if you needed someone to tag along for when you told your family.” Jake said sincerely before he grinned. “Plus I wanted to know if all Santiagos were terrible cooks like you.”

“Shut up,” Amy muttered. “You wait until you have my Mom’s cooking.”

“Is that an invite?” Jake asked cheekily before mentally scolding himself. He was doing this wrong. He wanted to be serious. A friend offering support to another friend in a time of need. Instead he was being his usual, immature, goofball self. The one time he shouldn’t have been. 

Amy bit her lip before shrugging her shoulders. “It was a joke but honestly… I could do with the moral support.”

“Cool. Coolcoolcoolcool.” Jake muttered as he tried to give Amy a reassuring grin. “Good thing I brought my road trip playlist.”

“Please tell me it’s not just filled with Taylor Swift songs.” Amy asked as she picked her bag up again. 

“Wrong again, Detective Always Wrong. It’s non-stop 90s and early-2000s which are basically 90’s bangers! Perfect to stop even an Amy Santiago worry-fest” Jake boasted before adopting a sing-song voice. “Backstreet’s back, alright!”

“You’re lucky my high school crush was on Nick Carter.” Amy said, rolling her eyes as they left her apartment. Jake hopped into the passenger seat and plugged his phone into her aux cord. It was going to be a long drive to David’s house. David’s house was based in The Bronx and the whole way there; Jake was singing pop, RnB, Eurodance and pop-punk at the top of his lungs; with the accompanying dance moves. 

Amy now knew it was actually possible to dance the Macerena in a car. 

Although true to his word, Jake had been able to stop her worrying through his singing, dancing and a very dramatic rendition of Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero”; complete with hand acting.

As soon as they turned onto David’s block, Amy felt her worries and fears crash back as she saw all of the cars parked outside David’s house. She really was late. Even Tony had arrived before she had and he had been driving down from Albany. Jake cut the music and tried to offer a reassuring smile. 

“Hey, we can leave whenever you want.” Jake offered and Amy shook her head. 

“No, I can’t run from this.” Amy reasoned as she parked behind Luis’ car. Jake climbed out of the car, wishing he had had the foresight to arm himself with a case of beer or a bottle of wine, hell even some food from McDonalds would have been better than turning up empty-handed. Jake scolded himself. He was here to help Amy. Nothing else. Well, that and to see if Mama Santiago’s cooking was as awesome as Amy claimed. 

Amy knocked on the door and Jake heard the sound of squealing children, running footsteps and laughter as the door opened and a tall, handsome man beamed at them. “Amy! You made it!”

“Hi Tony, is everyone here?” Amy asked as a little boy charged and launched his arms around her middle. “Hi Nicky!”

“Auntie Amy!” Nicky cheered happily as he yelled over his shoulder. “Auntie Amy’s here!”

Jake’s eyes widened as what seemed like the stampede from The Lion King charged through the house towards the door. He counted at least a dozen children ranging from around twelve to wobble-legged toddlers charging towards Amy; all of them wanting to hug or speak to her. Amy however, took it in stride; making a point to hug and speak to every one of them; from the eldest; Sarah, to the youngest, Mateo. As Amy greeted them, Tony leaned over the kids and offered Jake’s hand. 

“I’m Tony; the third eldest.” Tony introduced. Jake wondered if all the Santiago kids had had to introduce themselves like this. He knew Amy was the sixth of the eight and that David was the oldest of all of them. The rest tended to blend together. 

“Jake, I’m Amy’s friend. I hope it’s OK I tagged along.” Jake said as Tony smiled.

“Yeah it’s cool. Mom always makes enough food to feed an army.” Tony said as Amy turned back to them. “You OK, Butternut?”

“Butternut?” Jake repeated as Amy elbowed him.

“Shut it, Pineapples.” Amy snapped. “I’m fine, I just hate being late.”

“We know, come on.” Tony said as he led them inside. The lounge was filled with most of Amy’s nieces and nephews and in the kitchen were Amy’s siblings and sisters-in-law. Amy led Jake over to her parents and introduced them.

“Mom, Dad; this is my friend and colleague, Jake Peralta. Jake; these are my parents: Victor and Camilla Santiago.” Amy introduced as Jake offered his hand. However, neither of them shook it. Uh oh. Camilla glanced at her daughter and her eyes widened. 

“Oh Amy,” Camilla cried, her hands clapping to her mouth. The rest of the family fell quiet and David carefully shut the door to ensure none of the kids came in. 

“Mom,” Amy prompted as she felt the fear and bile rise in her throat. She was stupid to think her mother; who had had eight children herself; wouldn’t instantly work out that she was pregnant. 

“Are you?” Camilla asked and Amy nodded.

“Yes, I’m pregnant.” Amy announced as Camilla shook her head. “Mom, say something.”

“You can’t be. You’re-” Camilla began and sensing the imminent explosion, Jake cut across her.

“An adult with a steady job, a house and the capability to raise a child.” Jake said as Luis stepped forward. 

“Mom, he’s right. Besides, neither me nor Stephen were married when we had kids. Plus I was sixteen the first time around.” Luis said as he hugged Amy tightly. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry, mija,” Camilla said as she put her arms around Amy. The rest of her family offered their congratulations, questions and advice. Jake felt a hand clap onto his shoulder and he turned to see Victor looking at him, unsmiling. 

“A word, Jake.” Victor said gruffly as he led Jake into the back yard. “Who do you think you are to come here?”

“Mr Santiago, I’m just Amy’s friend.” Jake protested. “The baby isn’t mine.”

“It’s not? Then who’s is it?” Victor asked. “Why is he not here instead of you? What sort of man sends someone else?”

“He doesn’t want to know. He cheated on Amy and he didn’t believe her when she told him. She’s terrified of being a single mom and she needed the moral support so I tagged along. She didn’t want to feel like she’s let you down.” Jake explained as Victor looked at him stoically.

“So the man who Amy had been in a relationship with has hurt her and refuses to acknowledge the baby? Who is this man?” Victor asked and Jake dismissed it.

“It’s fine. The squad already gave him an ass-kicking and honestly, he’s better out of Amy’s life. He didn’t make her happy. He didn’t care about her.” Jake admitted as Victor raised an eyebrow.

“And what about you?” Victor prompted.

“What about me?”

“Do you care for Amy? Do you make her happy?” Victor asked. “I know she can look after herself but I still need to know.”

“I do, a lot. But she doesn’t have feelings for me in that way which is fine.” Jake paused and sighed. “Look, I grew up without a dad and I know how difficult it is. My mom did an amazing job raising me but aside from my Nana and Gina’s mom; she was alone. I know there were times she didn’t sleep because she was worried about money or tried to come up for a reason for my dad failing to show up on my birthday again or try to find someone, anyone to babysit because she didn’t want to risk leaving me by myself and then missing out on something important for her. I don’t want Amy to have to deal with that. I want her to know that even if her family aren’t supportive. Even if for some reason the squad turned their backs on her; that I would still be here for her. That I would help her in whatever way she needed it because she’s my friend. I care about her and I already love that baby. Even though it will never be mine.”

Jake resisted the urge to bite his tongue. Victor took in his words carefully and looked at Jake with a newfound respect in his eyes. “I’m sorry Jake, I was wrong about you.”

“It’s OK, you were just being a dad.” Jake replied and Victor clapped him on the back. 

“You know, fathering a child is not what makes a man. A real man is the one who raises, provides and loves their child. You, Jake Peralta, are a real man.” Victor said proudly and Jake felt the tears well in his eyes. Stupid father issues. That was the sort of thing that Roger would never said to him. 

“Thank you, Mr Santiago.” Jake said, offering his hand. Instead Victor smiled and hugged him.

“Call me Victor.” Victor said as he steered Jake back towards the house. “Now come on, you need to have some of my Camilla’s cooking.”

Jake walked into the kitchen and took a seat next to Amy. “You OK?”

“Yeah, just everyone had so much advice. It was a lot to take in and add to the binders. My sisters-in-law kept my mom in check. Was my dad OK?” Amy asked. She had been more worried about telling her dad than her mom. Sometimes his protectiveness and ability to view her as his little girl was endearing and at other times it was frustrating. She was a grown woman who made her own choices and he had to accept it. 

“Yeah he was fine. He just misunderstood the situation between us.” Jake reassured her as Amy blushed and shook her head. 

“I’m sorry; it’s frustrating how he acts about me sometimes.” Amy muttered as Camilla began placing dishes on the sideboard. “Come on, everyone helps out here.”

“Will do,” Jake said cheerfully as he snatched a pile of plates and followed Tony into the dining room. The room was mostly taken up with a long table with ten chairs placed around it. “Where is everyone going to sit?”

“First dibs,” Tony explained. “First eight to the table with Mom and Dad and the rest wait. The kids eat in the kitchen at the kids’ table.”

“So you’ll join them Jake!” Amy quipped as she carried in some side-plates. Jake stuck his tongue out at her and dodged one of Amy’s sister’s-in-law as she carried in some glasses. As the plates were being set on the table, Jake watched as Victor yelled to summon the family. Amy tugged Jake onto a seat and within under two minutes, the table was filled with everyone sitting elbow to elbow.. With not even half of the Santiago family around one table; it was still way more than the most family he had ever had sharing a meal at one time. 

“Who wants to say grace?” Camilla asked.

“Grace!” Luis called and the rest of the table groaned. “Alright, alright, we give thanks for this meal.”

Jake patiently listened to the prayer and waited for some of Amy’s siblings to eat before he picked up his fork. Jake took a bite, appreciating the spicy taste and beamed. Amy was right. “Mrs Santiago, this is amazing!”

“Thank you Jake,” Camilla replied. “David helped.”

“I didn’t help that much. It’s just a recipe I picked up when backpacking in South America.” David explained humbly as beside him, Amy stiffened.

“Ames?” Jake prompted as Amy pushed her chair back and rushed from the table. Jake leapt to his feet and followed Amy into the bathroom. Jake knelt beside her and scooped her hair into one hand and patted her back with the other. “It’s OK, get it up.”

“Oh my god,” Amy groaned in between retches. Once she was confident she had gotten all of it out of her system, Amy flushed the toilet and wiped her forehead. “Sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s fine; you can’t help it.” Jake reassured. He helped Amy to her feet as Camilla appeared in the doorway with a glass of water.

“Are you OK?” Camilla asked and Amy swished the water in her mouth and spat it into the sink.

“I’m better now, sorry Mom.” Amy apologised as Camilla gave her a reassuring hug. 

“It’s OK, is there anything you want to eat?” Camilla offered and Amy shook her head. Right now, food seemed like the worst thing for her. She had been fine with the smell of the food cooking but once she tasted it; it turned her stomach completely upside down. Her doctor said the sickness would end towards the end of her first trimester but that was a minimum of three weeks away. 

“Come on, let’s go into the lounge.” Jake suggested as he led Amy towards David’s home office. Amy rolled her eyes and led him into the correct room. As she sat on the sofa, she looked at Jake. 

“Thanks, you can go back and eat. I’ll be fine in here.” Amy offered as Jake took a seat next to her. 

“Nah, I’m not that hungry.” Jake said as his stomach gave a loud rumble. “Well, maybe a little.”

“Go before it’s gone.” Amy advised. As Jake closed the door behind him, Amy rested her hands on her stomach and took a deep breath. That had not been how she expected dinner with her family to go. As relieved as she was that her family had accepted her pregnancy, she knew she wouldn’t have managed as well as she did without Jake to help her. She really was lucky to have a friend like him. 

Amy’s hands froze halfway to her hair. She had been about to tuck her hair behind her ears before she caught herself. She was just hormonal, mixed up and projecting emotions that she wasn’t sure she really felt. Jake was her best friend. They were close and she appreciated his help. That’s all.

Nothing more.


	4. The beating of a heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I cannot get over the most recent episode; the ending was perfect. Also can I just say; I doubt Wuntch is really dead.

“OK Amy, if you want to just lie up here,” Dr Richards said as she set Amy’s paperwork aside and switched on the ultrasound machine. Amy lay on the bed and pushed the hem of her shirt up. “So this is your first appointment and scan; how are you feeling?”

“Good, the sickness seems to be easing off.” Amy replied. “I backdated it and I’m sure I’m ten weeks now.”

“Very good, we’ll just double check that and make sure everything’s OK in there. Is this your first child?” Dr Richards asked as she uncapped the ultrasound jelly. “This will be cold.”

“Yes it is and oh my god, that is freezing!” Amy yelped as the jelly spread across her stomach. “Will you be able to tell me my due date?”

“We should be able to make a good estimate. From the thirty-eighth week; you could go into labour at any time.” Dr Richards replied as she guided the ultrasound wand over Amy’s stomach. Amy looked at the screen but all she could see were some grey swirls. “OK, it all looks good, the foetus is developing strongly. I would agree that you’re ten weeks pregnant so that would put the conception date around the 30th of November. Therefore your due date would most likely be the end of August or the start of September.”

“That sounds so far away.” Amy mused and Dr Richards smiled.

“Believe me, it will come by so fast. How is your relationship with the father? I noticed that you left his information blank. If you want to test for any genetic abnormalities; we would ideally need the father’s information.” Dr Richards asked carefully. 

“My ex-boyfriend is not involved. He doesn’t even believe the baby’s his. I don’t want any sort of testing; not unless there’s a genuine risk to its health.” Amy replied as she looked to the screen. “I can’t see it; how can you find all of this stuff?”

“The same way you find evidence at a crime scene. Observation and training.” Dr Richards explained as she pointed to the screen. “So this is the head; this is its arms and legs which are developing nicely and this flickering here; that is the baby’s heart. Would you like to hear it?”

“Yes,” Amy replied quietly, her own heart pounded as the sound of a rhythmic low thumping seemed to echo around the room. “Oh my god, that’s incredible.”

“It is,” Dr Richards agreed as she printed off the ultrasound images. “We will arrange another scan in two weeks, if you have any issues; cramping pain, spotting come in as soon as you can. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Not right now but thank you,” Amy replied as she took some paper towels and wiped the ultrasound jelly off of her stomach. It had felt so surreal to hear the heartbeat and see the image on the screen. It felt so surreal that it almost seemed to confirm the reality of the situation. That was her baby. Her baby who was growing inside of her. In all the articles and entries and blog posts she had read; all of them stated that the first scan always made a pregnancy feel more real. 

After scheduling her twelve week scan with the receptionist, Amy left the hospital and checked her phone. Charles had sent her about a dozen questions asking about the baby (and her uterus); Terry had sent a message apologising for Charles’ message. Gina had updated her about Jake and Rosa’s morning incident; impressively in meme format. Apparently Jake attempted the FBP on his spinny chair and crashed into Rosa’s desk, breaking her coffee mug. Amy texted Gina, informing her that she was on her way as she got into her car. 

“Cool beanz, get me a venti vanilla caramel frappuccino on your way and I’ll help buy you some decent maternity clothes.” 

Amy rolled her eyes and drove towards the drive-thru Starbucks a few blocks away. As much as she enjoyed her own style, she knew that Gina’s suggestions for maternity wear would be beneficial. Plus if it meant Gina was being nice without the backhanded compliment, she would accept it. Also, now that she thought about it; she could really go for a double chocolate chip frappuccino too. Amy also made sure to get a coffee for Rosa; she could imagine the sort of mood Rosa would be in and decided a peace offering would be better than nothing.

“How was the scan?” Charles asked the moment the elevator doors opened. Amy stepped into the bullpen, carrying her drink in one hand and balancing Rosa and Gina’s in the other.

“Oh you pant-suited angel, I would have gone myself but I’m in the middle of a livestream!” Gina explained as she snatched her coffee and shoved her phone in Amy’s face. “Everyone check out my friend Amy’s account, especially if you’re a bit of a nerd!”

“Thanks, I guess,” Amy replied. So much for the kindness. “Rosa, I got you a coffee. I know Jake killed your mug.”

“That’s not tr-” Jake began but stopped at Rosa’s expression. “I’m deeply sorry, I will never do it again Please don’t kill me.”

“Come on Amy! Show us the baby!” Charles asked excitedly, bouncing on his heels as Amy set down her purse and pulled out the ultrasound image. “Oh, that’s amazing!”

“Let’s see! Terry loves ultrasound pictures! They’re like little blurry peanuts.” Terry said, looking over Charles’ shoulder. “Definitely just one?”

“Thankfully, multiples run in my family. Tony and Luis are fraternal twins and my mom’s a triplet.” Amy explained. Although there was the potential for her to have multiple babies, she was relieved that at least this time around, that possible genetic factor had skipped over her. 

“Could you imagine triplet Amys? It would be a nightmare.” Jake joked as Amy elbowed him. 

“Better than triplet Jakes.” Amy retorted. “One’s bad enough.”

“OK,, that was hurtful.” Jake quipped as he took the ultrasound images. “Although, it looks cute, look at it’s little head.”

“That’s it’s butt!” Amy laughed. Jake blushed and tried to act nonchalant. As Amy took her seat at her desk, Jake leaned over the desk. “What?”

“So when are you due?” Jake asked curiously as Amy looked at the calendar on her desk.

“It looks like the end of August or the start of September. Why?” Amy asked and Jake grinned.

“Just wondering whether it would be a factor in my next Halloween Heist win.” Jake said. “Hang on, start of September? How awesome would it be if they were born on September 9th? Baby Nine-Nine!”

“I doubt it,” Amy replied. “All Santiagos are either on time or early.”

“Yeah but they have a mind of their own.” Jake replied, snatching the ultrasound image and holding it over his face. “Baby Nine-Nine!”

“You’re an idiot.” Amy commented fondly. “So where’s Captain Holt?”

“The Wicked Witch of West Brooklyn called him into One Police Plaza.” Jake replied and Amy shook her head. That doubtlessly meant that they would have another increase to their workload; a cut to the Nine-Nine’s budget or Holt in a bad mood, seething over Wuntch’s latest attempt to get one over on him. 

Amy pulled her case files over to her desk and began completing them. Also she had been assigned to desk duty; she still managed to twist enough arms to let her visit the crime scenes as an extra pair of eyes or to witness interrogations. As long as it didn’t involve her chasing down criminals or putting herself in a potentially dangerous situation; there was little Holt or Terry could do about it. In between her casefiles, she was receiving updates from her various family groupchats. The main family one that everyone was involved in; the women-only chat of her mom and sisters in law and the Santiago Siblings chat which involved just Amy and her brothers. It helped with passing on information or planning things en masse to have the information in a group chat. 

She was just about to weigh in on the betting pool her brothers set up about her baby; partly to argue against David’s laughably wrong opinion that the baby would be born at 38 weeks exactly just like him and also to remind them of the rules of the Baby Betting Pool. (Any winnings had to be divided between the winner and parent as a starter for the baby’s college fund.) However just as she opened the groupchat, a new message appeared on her screen.

Unknown Number  
We need to talk about the baby.


	5. Stepping Away and Stepping Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy meets with Mitch. Jake is an awesome friend.

“Are you sure that you don’t want one of us to come with you?” Rosa asked Amy as the three of them sat in the break room together. Amy tapped nervously at the lid of her lunchbox and shook her head.

“Are you sure? Because it looks like you don’t want to do this alone.” Gina challenged, tearing her gaze from her phone and focusing on Amy.

“I’m sure, I just don’t know what he’ll say. It’s been weeks since I told him that I was pregnant and he didn’t want to know then. I’m not sure why he’s suddenly eager to talk now.” Amy replied. She wasn’t naive enough to assume that he had suddenly changed his mind and was ready to become a devoted father.

“At least tell us where you’re meeting him. Just in case he needs another ass-kicking.” Gina said and Amy rolled her eyes. She was pregnant, not an invalid. She could handle herself.

“We’re just meeting at a cafe. It’s nothing to worry about.” Amy said, wondering if she was reassuring herself as well as Gina and Rosa. 

“What’s nothing to worry about?” Jake asked as he joined them, armed with his usual array of junk food. Amy’s stomach rumbled at the sight of peanut butter cups and Jake slid them to Amy without a word. She had always hated peanut butter but she couldn’t get enough peanut butter cups. Or peanut butter ice cream. Or peanut butter milkshakes. Jake pulled out a second packet of peanut butter cups and waited on an answer. 

“‘M seein’ ‘tch to’nigh.” Amy explained as Jake choked back a laugh.

“Want to try that again in English?” Jake challenged.

Amy swallowed and tried again. “I’m seeing Mitch tonight. He wants to talk about the baby.”

“Has he changed his mind?” Jake asked and Amy shrugged her shoulders.

“They’re meeting at seven so join me and Rosa for the ass-kicking at half past.” Gina said. “I already put it in the group chat.”

“Seriously?!” Amy snapped as her phone lit up with the message. As well as three from Rosa, Terry and Charles. Charles was thankfully declining the ass-kicking due to watching Nikolaj as Genevive was out of town. Rosa and Terry however were eager to join the ass-kicking. 

“Yeah Gina, it’ll be a kerb-stomping.” Jake quipped but Amy noticed the sharpness in his tone. She knew that Jake’s own experience with his father was a sore spot and she knew how lucky she was to have had a devoted dad in her life. If anything, Victor was becoming too overprotective, doing almost daily check ups on her and the baby and Camilla had told her that he was making a binder for her and the baby. None of her siblings, not even Luis, had got a binder made for them when they were expecting. Amy couldn’t deny that a tiny, infinitesimal part of her was actually hoping that Mitch wanted to step up. That he truly was sorry for his actions and that he did want to be a dad. That maybe they could work it out; even if they didn’t get back together; they could successfully co-parent. 

Yeah right. 

Amy was in the cafe for quarter to seven and was nursing a decaf latte as she waited for Mitch to turn up. She flicked through the messages in the different group chats, read some articles on different news websites and refreshed her facebook feed as she waited for Mitch to arrive. At seven on the dot, she received a message from Jake asking if he had turned up. She was just about to reply when Mitch walked in and spotted her. He joined the queue as Amy texted Jake.

Amy  
Yeah, he’s just arrived.

Jake  
Cool. Hope it all goes OK.

Amy  
Thanks Jake.

“Amy, it’s good to see you.” Mitch said as he joined her at the table. “How have you been?”

“Pregnant.” Amy replied sharply. “Sorry, that was rude.”

“No it’s fine,” Mitch replied and there was a moment of an awkward silence between them. “Listen, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few weeks. If the baby is mine, then you need to know that I’m not ready to be a dad. I’ve got too much going on with work and I’m not paternal. I never wanted kids and that hasn’t changed.”

Amy took a second to prevent herself from reeling at his words. She had expected him to say it but it still hurt her to hear him say those words. And it was infuriating to hear him accusing her of being unfaithful when he had been the one to cheat on her. Amy took a few deep breaths before she fixed Mitch with her fiercest look; the one she only used on perps. Or on Hitchcock when he ate her snacks. 

“Listen Mitch. The baby is yours biologically. You see, unlike you, I have never been unfaithful in our relationship. You might not be ready to be a dad but I need to know what you mean by that. You have six months to be ready. I’m not ready but I’m trying to be. I have a busy career too but part of being a parent is making sacrifices.” Amy retorted and Mitch shook his head.

“I can’t make those sacrifices Amy. I have my career, my apartment, my life. Since you’re not terminating it; I want to terminate my parental rights. I don’t want any involvement. At all.” Mitch explained as Amy’s grip tightened on her mug. 

“Very well. We will look into how to terminate your rights and arrange it with the courts.” Amy said, mentally adding it to the ever-growing mental checklist. 

“I already spoke to my lawyer. He advised that abandonment for six months will be reason enough to terminate my rights. Here is a copy for you. Tell me when the baby is born and we will date it from then.” Mitch stated as he handed Amy the document and swigged from his coffee cup, hissing at the heat of the liquid.

Amy scanned the document and put it into her purse. “Then we have nothing more to say. I will contact you after I speak to my lawyer. Goodbye Mitch.”

“Amy-” Mitch began but Amy stood up and walked out of the cafe. She was determined to now show weakness or tears in front of him. She focused on putting one foot in front of the other and got into her car. Amy blinked rapidly as she pulled out her phone. It was only ten past seven but there were some messages in the group chat. However instead of reading them, Amy scrolled through her contacts and hit the name of the one person who she wanted to speak to.

“Jake, can I come over?” Amy asked, her throat aching as she tried to hold back her tears. 

“Sure, do you want me to come and get you?” Jake offered.

“No, I'm on my way. Thanks Jake.” Amy replied, wiping her eyes and ending the call. 

Jake looked at his phone and felt a wave of anger rise up in him. He was tempted to call the squad and order them to follow through on the ass-kicking but as Amy hadn’t wanted them to, he decided to respect her wishes. Instead, he ordered some pizza, making sure one had Amy’s favourite toppings as well as cheesy garlic bread and dessert. Jake suspected that she hadn’t eaten since lunch and although it was important that she eat healthily, he also knew that some things just called for pizza. 

He had been doing a lot of reading up on pregnancy but Jake kicked the books under his couch. Amy didn’t need to know that. 

Ten minutes later, Amy thumped on the door. Jake opened it and took one glance at her blotchy, tearful face and hugged her tightly. Amy latched on, hugging him so tightly that it ached and he could feel her body shaking with sobs. Amy broke the hug and Jake led her inside and they sat on the couch. Jake didn’t speak and instead waited for Amy to break the silence. 

“He wants to terminate his rights. He said that he was going to because I didn’t terminate the pregnancy.” Amy whispered as Jake tightened his hold on her.

“He said that?” Jake asked and Amy nodded. Jake stroked her back as he felt rage burn in his veins. He couldn’t understand how someone could be so cruel. He fully respected women’s rights to abortion and to control their bodies. If Amy hadn’t wanted to go through with the pregnancy then he would have supported her. However this was totally different. No kid deserved to have their parent abandon them. It was one thing to have a deadbeat parent; one who wanted absolutely nothing to do with their child was something else altogether. 

“I knew he didn’t want to be involved but he didn’t have to be so cruel.” Amy whispered. “What’s wrong with me Jake? Would it be so terrible to have a baby with me/”

“Nothing’s wrong with you. He’s just selfish because he is missing out on the most awesome kid in the world.” Jake reassured, kissing the top of her head. 

“I knew he wasn’t interested and it’s not even about the child support. It’s the fact that if he terminates his rights, then that’s it. Legally, my baby doesn’t have a dad.” Amy explained. “I’m sorry, I know your dad wasn’t around.”

“No, I get it. Roger was a bad dad but I still got birthday presents and occasional visits. Even though he was never there and had hurt me and my mom, I knew there was something that he did feel. Sometimes I think it would have been better if he had never come back but I still have some good memories with him, even ones that don’t hurt in hindsight.” Jake explained sincerely as the doorbell rang. “Oh that’s your pizza.”

“You ordered me pizza?” Amy asked as Jake climbed off of the couch and went to the door; reappearing less than a minute later armed with three boxes; one large and two small.

“I ordered us both pizza; a chicken and veggie for you and a pepperoni for me. I also got cheesy garlic bread and some brownies.” Jake said as he set the boxes on the couch. Amy reached for hers and inhaled deeply. That was her absolute favourite. 

“You got me stuffed crust?” Amy asked, poking the little bump of melted cheese that stuck out of the crust. Jake nodded through a mouthful of pepperoni as he flicked the TV onto a Disney movie. Amy sat on the couch next to him as they ate pizza and Jake hummed along to the songs. It was possibly due to the hormones but the sweetness of the gesture made her want to cry. Jake was giving up his free time to listen to her, to let her cry over him, he bought her favourite food and offered her reassurance and support from the moment he had found out that she was pregnant. He would make a great dad for someone, someday. 

If only he had been her baby’s dad.


End file.
